This post shares a fun & easy Red Poppy Craft and other wonderful Remembrance, Memorial Day, & Veterans Day activities with Kids. Includes key language (with a free printable), an art activity, and a listening exercise.

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

Facts about Memorial Day

This poem was written in 1915 by a woman, a historian & a professor, named Moina Michael. She later became known as the “Poppy Lady” as this beautiful flower came to be known as a symbol of Memorial Day to honor those men and women who died serving the country. Other Memorial Day facts for children:

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868.

The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873.

The day is celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May.

Listening Exercise for Remembrance Day

“Taps” is often heard at Memorial Day celebrations. It is a musical piece sounded at dusk, and at funerals, particularly by the U.S. military. It is sounded during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet, and often at Boy Scout, Girl Scout and Girl Guide meetings and camps. (Source: Wikipedia)

Remembrance Day Language

Holidays gives the opportunity to introduce language to children. Below are a few key vocabulary words that may be of interest to you for your home and your classroom. I also created Memorial Day language cards for your FREE use.

Freedom: the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint

Courage: the ability to do something that frightens one

Honor: high respect; esteem

Remembrance: the action of remembering something

Flag: a piece of cloth or similar material, typically oblong or square, attachable by one edge to a pole or rope and used as the symbol or emblem of a country or institution or as a decoration during public festivities.

Military: the armed forces of a country

Half-Staff Position: The position about halfway up a mast or pole at which a flag is flown as a symbol of mourning and remembrance

Salute: a gesture of respect, homage, or polite recognition or acknowledgment, especially one made to or by a person when arriving or departing.

Parade: a public procession, especially one celebrating a special day or event and including marching bands and floats.

Soldier: a person who serves in an army

Taps: a bugle call for lights to be put out in army quarters, a bugle call sounded at a military funeral

Memorial Day Red Poppy Craft

Inspired by My Crazy Simple Life, this Memorial Day activity is great for at home or in the classroom.

Memorial Day is a big concept for most young children to “get”. I don't mean to cut children short because I know they do get many BIG concepts. To bring the idea of war and veterans into a child's mind, though, is a serious endeavour and one that needs to happen gently and slowly over time.

I began introducing these ideas last year when mt older son was just about to turn three years old.

We began with books, then I integrated some Memorial Day symbols into our every day learning activities.

I will be sure to let you know how these activities transpire in our home classroom.

I want my children to be patriotic, to be proud of their country and to be democratic in their living (i.e. stand up and speak up about their beliefs). Teaching them the symbols of our county is a great hook into eventually learning the history of the founding of our country in all its glory and bloodshed. I want my children to understand the realities and the facts, as far as we know them, that surround wars and, on a positive note, fighting for our freedom hundreds of years ago and still today.

I would love to hear your ideas. Do you integrate Memorial Day into your curriculum? How do you plan to teach your preschoolers about Memorial Day?

We had a lot of fun making this flag together. As we worked together I worked into the conversation why there are 13 stripes, why the colors red, white & blue (White signifies purity and innocence, Red's meaning is hardiness & valor and Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice) and why 50 stars. I think he was intrigued at least.

We used the following materials:

A white piece of cardboard (you could use construction paper, card stock or poster board too)

A blue piece of construction paper

White finger paint

Red glitter (in our case we used orange because we were out of red, darn Cinco de Mayo, Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day)

Glue

A small brush

Painter's Tape

I cut out a blue square and pulled out a picture of an American Flag. I asked my son to identify where the blue square goes on the flag, and he did.

Then he squeezed glue on the blue square.

He placed the blue square on the white cardboard/flag.

I placed white painter's tape to act as white stripes and to protect the stripes from glue and glitter. You could also scribble in the stripes with white crayon.

Then we squeezed glue onto the flag. Originally I only squeezed where the red stripes we to go and neatly spread the glue down the line.

I decided that approach wasn't much fun so we squeezed glue all over the flag and smeared it with our hands.

Then the really fun part. Glitter! We shook glitter all over the flag so that the glue on the “red stripes” would catch the red glitter.

Okay, this part was pretty fun too. Finger Paint! We used white finger paint to dot our stars onto the blue square.

Then the really hard part: giving our flag time to dry before peeling off the painter's tape…